Top Tours

A Great Oregon Wine Tour of Willamette Valley

"Join us on our all day Willamette Valley Wine Tour and get a taste of the most decadent wines the lush Willamette Valley has to offer. Whether you are a wine tasting veteran or a newcomer we have something for you. Our guides are expertly trained in the ways of the Willamette Valley and its many vineyards and they will usher you to 4-6 separate vineyards over 7 ½ hours where you will have the opportunities to taste the famous pinots chardonnays rieslings

Portland City Tour

"Portland is the largest city lying between San Francisco and Seattle and when compared to those cities Portland’s environment is not as fast-paced; instead it has a more laid-back smaller town feel to it that has been created by planning policies. Portland however is still a city just shy of 610000 people with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million and as such has its fair share of cultural amenities

Columbia Gorge Waterfall Tour

"After getting picked up from your hotel head out of the city on the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Byway. Make sure to bring your camera and be photo-shoot ready you'll be making a few pit stops along way. Enjoy the opportunity to take in fresh air as well as an up close visit of some world famous waterfalls such as Multnomah Horsetail Latourell and Bridal Veil. Your tour doesn't stop there! No trip to the Columbia Gorge would be complete without stopping at the quirky McMenamins Edgefield Hotel and Brewery the Crown Point Vista House and Bonneville Dam."

Downtown area Tips (9)

Companies come and they go as market forces build them up and them break them up. Sometimes, all that is left is an empty warehouse. Sometimes, not even that. One local sportswear company – White Stag - that thrived here for years until they were bought out and moved overseas to Asia, left behind the huge neon sign (the sign originally advertised for White Satin Sugar from 1927 till the late 50’s when it changed brands) at the west end of the Burnside Bridge that had greeted commuters for years. Unlike a few other such signs, it has survived, albeit with a few subtle changes to its message.

What to buy The sign advertises Made In Oregon shops which can be found throughout the area selling local products - food, wine, woolen goods. A good place to get acquainted with the plethora of products available.

Oregon Historical Society book store sells quite an assortment of materials. Originally, when they were in a different part of the museum, their store was mostly historical books with information on the history of Oregon, places to explore such as eastern Oregon ghost towns, and similar materials.

These days, however, the museum store has relocated to its present spot at southwest Broadway and Madison. There is far more space here, and the collection of materials available for purchase is now far beyond the historical information books that used to be their largest collection.

Don't get me wrong: their historical books are usually interesting and there is still quite a collection for sale here. However, you will also be able to purchase quite an assortment of items well beyond books.

The store is on the southwest corner of the intersection of Southwest Broadway and Morrison, but the entire block is dedicated to the Oregon Historical Society museum. Only a small part of the facility is the museum store, however. The west side of the block (the museum entrance but not the museum store) faces the South Park Blocks, and across the park blocks and one block north is the Portland Art Museum main entrance.

See Also: Oregon Historical Society Museum under "Things to Do"

The URL below is to the Oregon Historical Society web site, which includes a bit of information about the store.

What to buy How about a few miniature totem poles or other Native American materials?

Or glass ornaments?

There is a reasonably good assortment of Portland and Oregon post cards and various other Oregon memorabilia available here.

The 150th Anniversary of Oregon Statehood Blanket is made by Oregon's own Pendleton company, but there were only a few produced, and the current asking price for them is in the four digit range.

What to pay Unfortunately, you will have to pay whatever the price tag says to pay - there isn't any negotiation over price in this store.

This is my favorite store in downtown Portland. Signature Imports has handcrafted clothing, jewelry, accessories, furniture, and knicknacks from all over the world. I particularly love their collection of natural fiber clothing from South America and India, and have bought several items over the years from here.

What to buy The absence of sales tax in Oregon makes this shop a real bargain for someone like me (a California resident, where I pay 8.25% in sales tax!)

There is such a variety of items, that it is difficult to recommend what to buy. What I can recommend is to pay the store a visit, and see what strikes your fancy.

What to pay Again, no sales tax for those of you who come from states or countries with sales or GST taxes. Compared to similar items that I find in my hometown of Los Angeles, CA, the prices are comparable. The selection is the real draw.

Well, Oregon has no sales tax on items bought, so many people from Washington State that live near Oregon do their shopping in Portland.

Pioneer Square area is the hub for shopping with Nordstroms next to it, A&F, Columbia Sportswear, two shopping malls all within a few blocks .

What to buy well, items are in general at least about 8.8% cheaper then Seattle, because of the sales tax, and around christmas and the day after thanksgiving(huge shopping day) and christmas are massive sale days.

If your traveling and need new clothes, those two days are great, if your in the area.

Jefie

IncogNeat-0

Jelly Bean has been around for nearly 30 years! The store is a haven for liberal people who plaster their cars with propaganda. There was plenty of anti-Bush junk, and proud to be from a blue state stuff. Check out their website.

What to buy I had to laugh at this one, "Stop Honking, I'm On the Cell Phone, Damn It!". Not enough to slap a $3.00 bumpersticker on my truck's clearcoat finish, but it was funny.

Even funnier... A few weeks ago in Portland a woman drove off one of the many bridges while she was talking on her phone. She wasn't hurt. But, she admitted that was why she drove off the bridge. Takes all kinds. This is a shop for the "all kinds". They advertise themself as "cutting edge".

Pioneer Courthouse Square

This is probably considered the center point of Downtown Portland. There is an information center located here along with public restrooms. A large open space with lots of people hanging out, having...

Portland City Hall

Merrill Auditorium is the historic auditorium at Portland City Hall. It's home to the Portland Symphony Orchestra and PCA Great Performances. The performance schedule is a little light in the summer...

Art Museum

The Portland Art Museum was founded in 1892, which makes it the oldest art museum on the West Coast. Although its collection was rather small at first, the museum soon gained popularity thanks to the...

Steel Bridge

Built in 1912, the Union Pacific Railroad owns this bridge - the upper deck is leased to ODOT and part is also subleased by TriMet for MAX light-rail operation. This is, like the Hawthorne Bridge, a...